


the dreams she doesn't have

by skuls



Category: The X-Files
Genre: F/M, Post-Finale, disgusting fluff, this title is pretty pointless too
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-20
Updated: 2019-04-20
Packaged: 2020-01-22 19:23:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 907
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18533917
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/skuls/pseuds/skuls
Summary: Prompt -- the ways you said I love you: as a hello.(Mulder and Scully's daughter shows up in their room one night.)





	the dreams she doesn't have

She’s still half-asleep, curled against Mulder’s broad back as he snores, when she hears the little voice behind her. “Mama?”

Scully turns in bed to see her daughter standing at the bedside, dark hair a mess and wearing the pinstriped button down pajamas she’d begged for at Christmas so that they could match. “Hi, honey,” she says, reaching out to stroke her hair.

“Hi, Mama. I love you.” Lily—never one to be discouraged by things like it being the middle of the night (not unlike her father)—climbs up onto the bed and onto Scully’s lap, her socked feet slipping on the comforter. She wraps her little arms around Scully’s waist and leans back to peer up at her face.

Startled, Scully says, “I love you too, Lils,” and hugs her tight. Lily shuts her eyes, laying her head on Scully’s shoulder. She smooths tangled hair away from her daughter’s face with the flat of her palm, and asks, “What’s wrong, sweetie? Did you have a bad dream?”

“Nuh-uh.” Lily clambers off of her lap and onto the middle of the mattress. “Is Daddy awake?”

“No, shh, he’s still asleep,” Scully whispers, settling down beside them and leaning in to kiss Lily’s nose. She giggles with delight. “Why’d you get out of bed?”

She shrugs, making herself comfortable in the middle of the bed.

“Could you not sleep?” Scully prods. “Was anything wrong?”

“I wanted to make you feel better,” Lily says, “cause you had a nightmare.”

She blinks in surprise, not entirely sure she’s heard her right. “What was that, honey?” she whispers.

“You had a bad dream,” Lily says mildly. “And I wanted you to know that I was okay and I love you, and also that Jackson was okay, cause I think he’s still okay, right? He’s okay. We could call him if we want to be sure.”

“We don’t need to call Jackson, Lily, it’s the middle of the night… Honey, what did you mean when you said I had a nightmare?” She  _had_  been having a nightmare, just before she woke up, but the nightmares have been getting much better and less frequent since Lily was born—since they mended their relationship with Jackson. So she hadn’t panicked too badly. She hadn’t woken Mulder up the way she used to, and she’d resisted the urge to text Jackson; the most she’d allowed herself was creeping down the hall to check on Lily. And Lily was fine, and she was  _asleep_ , Scully had seen it.

Lily shrugs again, scooting down on her side and pressing her back to Mulder’s, leaning her cheek on her folded hands. “I saw it. You dreamed that me and Jackson were gone. I wanted you to know I was okay.”

She’s stunned at that, tucking hair behind Lily’s ears. “That’s very sweet of you, honey,” she whispers unsteadily. “How… how did you know I was having a nightmare?”

“I  _saw_  it,” Lily says impatiently. “Like how Jackson sees things. It’s okay, Mama. I have nightmares sometimes, too.”

Behind Lily, Mulder begins to stir, turning over with a groan. “Hey,” he murmurs. “What’s going on?”

“Daddy!” Lily turns around to wrap her arms around his neck. “Mama had a nightmare so I wanted to make her feel better and show her I’m okay. Can I sleep in here tonight?”

Mulder, blinking sleepily, strokes Lily’s hair and peers at Scully over her head. Scully shrugs. She doesn’t quite know what to make of any of this, but it shouldn’t come as a surprise. A few years ago, when Lily was still very little, Jackson had worried that she’d be like him.  _If she is,_  he said,  _you gotta be careful. You gotta take care of her… make sure she doesn’t end up as some experiment._  She had winced at that, and so he had changed the subject quickly.  _I can be here for the kid, you know,_  he’d said, looking down at Lily in her lap. He’d made a goofy face, and she’d giggled.  _To make sure that stuff doesn’t happen to her… or to you._ So really, she probably should’ve been expecting this sooner.

“You okay, Scully?” Mulder whispers, touching her shoulder. “Rough dream?”

She nods. “Yeah, rough dream,” she says, and smiles. “But I’m okay.”

Lily wriggles out of Mulder’s embrace to pat Scully reassuringly on the cheek. “So I can stay?”

They exchange a look overtop of the comforter. “Well, I dunno, Lils,” Mulder says at length, stifling a yawn. “Are you going to hog all the covers again?”

“I don’t hog the covers! I never hog the covers.” She makes a face at Mulder, sticking out her tongue. “Mama says  _you_ hog the covers.”

“Maybe  _you_  got it from your father,” Scully suggests, lying back down on her side, “and you do it without even thinking about it, and the two of you are going to leave me freezing cold on my side of the bed.”

Lily giggles. Mulder yawns again, tousling their daughter’s hair. “You have no evidence,” he says sleepily.

“I have plenty of evidence,” Scully says, tapping Lily’s knee. “Lie down, sweetie, the three of us need some rest.”

Lily lies down between them, yawning herself. “Do you have nightmares a lot, Mama?” she whispers seriously.

“Not much,” Scully whispers. Mulder’s arm is slung lazily across Lily’s back; she grabs his hand and leans down to kiss her daughter’s forehead. “Not anymore.”


End file.
